Written for: 2013 Summer Fanfiction Olympics Competition, Round 1
Prompts used: Revolving around water, Lucy/Lorcan, sphere, never, tide, salt, circle, a bucket, yellow, giddiness and Percy Weasley.
This is one of the first few times I've attempted to write next-gen, so I'm not so sure about the characterisation that I've done in it. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy reading this! Constructive feedback would be extremely appreciated :)
Three more weeks
Hey Lucy,
I'll only be back three weeks later on the 18th before I go off again. Find some way to meet at midnight, same place? Hope to see you there!
Yours,
Lorcan
Rebellion.
It was something the new generation of Weasleys seemed to be extremely proud of. The history had started with the first Weasley child, Victoire. Aside from being sorted into Ravenclaw, she often snuck out with Teddy and read "inappropriate books" (although Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur didn't really seem to mind). There was also Fred and James, who had dyed their hair neon green and electric blue respectively to general shock, Rose who had ran off to get married and work in France, and Lily, who got sorted into Slytherin and currently dated Scorpius Malfoy. All in all, the originally Gryffindor family now boasted a mixture of all four houses – rebellion in a sense.
Just one week ago, Lucy would have said that rebellion wasn't really for her. That was a universal fact accepted by all the Weasleys. Aside from having a head of brown hair instead of the dominant fiery red (which hadn't exactly been her choice) and being sorted into Ravenclaw, Lucy hadn't done much in the area – especially when you compared her to her more outlandish cousins. Perhaps it was because of her parents' strict upbringing, or maybe she just never really saw a reason to do so.
Now, she was planning to sneak out with a boyfriend her father didn't know about, in the middle of the night. Things had certainly begun to change. She had started to change, thanks to a certain Lorcan Scamander.
Today
Action.
Lucy Weasley fought the urge to chew her fingernails as she peered outside the window, checking if anyone was around. Just as she expected, there wasn't. She hesitated. Once she sneaked out, there was no more getting in – she wouldn't be able to get past the wards. Did she really want to do this? Was she that willing to sacrifice years of mutual trust with her parents for just one night with Lorcan? Yes.With a burst of resolution, she slid open the window and climbed out carefully. Her heart hammered in her chest as she walked briskly toward the woods where the ends of the wards were.
Lucy felt unsure of herself. What if she got caught? Would he think she bailed out on him? What should she say to him later anyway, if she did succeed? Also, since when had it gone so far to this extent? Was it love? She hadn't thought of it that way before. Love was powerful. It was the harbinger of change. Was love changing her? Did she love him? More importantly, did he love her? He said he did months ago, but he never mentioned it again…
She'd considered asking him many times before, but had always chickened out in the end. To tell the truth, she was afraid of what the answer would be. Didn't they always say that boys hid their feelings? What if Lorcan just avoided the question? She wouldn't be able to take that! Or even worse, what if he lied? No, Lorcan wasn't like that… He was straightforward. Even honest to a fault. Lucy shook her head with a little shudder to get rid of the thoughts, turning her attention back to her current escape - trekking up the path to the nearby beach. Soon enough, the sight of the sea came into view.
For the first time in her life, Lucy had snuck out of her house. Despite the current turmoil running through her head, she couldn't help give a small smile of triumph as she breathed in the fresh air. Whoever said she was completely useless at this sort of thing would be surprised.
The moonlight shone brightly even in the reflection of the water, which rushed to shore in large, angry waves. High tide. Perfect for having privacy, though that wasn't really a problem at 's eye travelled across the shore until she spotted Lorcan walking toward her with a grin. For a second, she felt like one of those characters in a cheesy romance story, having all their misgivings disappear with a look at their counterpart. She returned his easygoing smile with her own as she ran toward him, falling into his embrace comfortably.
"I missed you," Lorcan murmured as he laid a gentle kiss on her lips.
"Me too," Lucy smiled, pulling away slowly. "How was Egypt?"
"Extremely hot. Even if there were any fervencimex to be found, they would have ran away from the heat." He replied, leading them toward the cool water. "Yours?"
"Boring." Lucy said in a method-of-fact tone, "I suppose that's why I'm here. You're my source of entertainment."
"Really?" Lorcan smirked at her, "What kind of entertainment would you like on the beach? I have some preparations."
"Don't be like that!" Lucy blushed at what he implied. She was… hesitant about any issues that stemmed from that topic. She still didn't know the extent to which she was willing to go with him.
"Didn't your father tell you never to trust a boy?" Lorcan continued, whispering in her ear where she felt a ticklish sensation. "Everyone knows how uptight Percy Weasley is about his precious daughters."
The image floated in her mind for an instant, causing her to shudder. That settled it; she was definitely not ready.
"I guess I didn't listen," Lucy smiled, changing the subject readily. "Someone was just too persuasive. He needs to be punished." With a wicked grin, she turned away from the boy with a sharp twist and pushed him into the water. Being caught surprised, Lucy was glad to see Lorcan landed in the water with a satisfying splash.
"Oh no, you don't!" His arm shot out like a snake and grabbed Lucy's, pulling her into the water next to him before she could run. She squealed, finding herself in the arms of the boy, being spun around in circles. "Stop it!" She yelled while laughing. A few moments later, he finally lowered her down. The world was spinning as she blinked away the giddiness. Yet, her relief was short-lived. She was about to speak to the boy when a few seconds later, he splashed water at her relentlessly, further drenching her.
"What was that you said?" He laughed as the girl spit out a mouthful of the salty seawater.
"I said, you are an irritating git!" Lucy said with a little pout, "I'm wearing a nightgown!" She pointed, gesturing to her yellow dress, which was dripping wet. To her horror, it had floated just now when she'd fell into the water.
Lorcan sighed dramatically, "Lucy, oh Lucy, one never sneaks out with their boyfriend in a dress like that. I think you need more practice." He winked, "On another note, your cheeks look very pretty when they're bright red like that!"
Lucy had a feeling her cheeks had just burned even further. For the first time that night, she observed the boy closely. His mop of wet hair hung messily over his forehead, partially hiding his silvery grey eyes. He had certainly gotten tanner this summer. A little more… muscular as well.
"Since I think you'd rather not go for the option I painted just now, do you happen to want to build a sandcastle or have a picnic?" Lorcan broke her chain of thought.
Lucy decided to ignore the first part, "Depends on what you have in that picnic set-up. Planning to poison me?"
He shrugged with a naughty smile, "Just a couple of sandwiches. I can't have my girlfriend going hungry and fainting on me, however enjoyable it may be."
"It's too bad for you that I'm not falling for it then," Lucy replied with a grin, disregarding the remark lightly as she sat herself on the sand with a thump. "A sandcastle it is!"
The sandcastle in which Lucy was trying to build kept crumbling down on her. The sand merely stayed in mounds unlike the shape she wanted it to be. She glared at the insufferable thing that simply refused to follow its creator's wishes.
"You've never done this before, have you?" Lorcan placed his hands on Lucy's shoulders, looking at the crumbling sandcastle with amusement. He had finished his own, which was a majestic structure of turrets and moats.
"Not exactly," Lucy admitted, eyeing her miserable sphere-like structure with distaste. It seemed that her artistic talent on paper hadn't been transferred to the modeling and sculpturing world.
"There's a reason we fill the bucket with water," Lorcan commented lightly. She could almost hear the smirk in his voice.
Oh. "Well it is my first time," Lucy replied defensively. "It's just you who is a horribly poor teacher," She grumbled good-naturedly. Nevertheless, she pulled the bucket closer to her and dripped some of it onto the sand. It worked like magic. Within another half an hour, or perhaps more, they'd built an imposing castle with multiple wings and drawbridges. She laid down the final touches as she carefully inscribed their initials on the building with a small smile.
"It's our own little castle," Lorcan announced proudly. Lucy was about to reply when his stomach interrupted with a large grumble.
What a way to spoil the romantic moment. Lucy rolled her eyes, "Do you boys ever not get hungry? You'd all probably drop dead without a day of food!"
"We need sustenance to keep ourselves fit," He winked, walking over to the bag where his sandwiches were. "Want one?" He held out a large baguette.
Lucy tilted her head to the side by way of answer.
A few minutes later, after a playful set-up process consisting of a ripped shirt being used a substitute for a picnic mat, the two of them sat down to eat. A comfortable silence settled between them as they shared a large ham-and-cheese sandwich.
It was only now that Lucy realised how tense she'd been at home the past month. Trying to keep her boyfriend and the planning for her little escapade a secret had been extremely hard to bear. In fact, it felt like ages since she'd last let loose like today. Of course, it wouldn't last. Everything would have to be explained later. But, she didn't want to think about that for now. There was another more pressing issue she had to settle. She needed to know something.
Lucy took a deep breath, fighting the urge to avoid the question. "Lorcan, d-do you… love me?" She stammered nervously, looking away. The moment of truth. She couldn't live in blissful ignorance forever, no matter how tempting it was…
"Lucy Weasley, look at me." Lorcan commanded sternly. She lifted her head slowly as hazel eyes met grey. His eyes were intense, mirrors to her feelings. She bit her lip. What was he going to say? That this might be the last night?
"Do you really think I would have spent my only night back in Britain with you if I didn't?" Lorcan continued.
She held a breath as her hope rose; was this it?
"I love you, Lucy." He said simply.
Lucy drew in a sharp breath as a feeling of euphoria rose up in her. She couldn't describe the wondrous feeling, as if a weight that had been pressing on her heart and torturing her had just disappeared.
"I love you too," She replied, meaning each word she uttered. They leant into each other to exchange another gentle kiss. His lips felt like feathers on her own.
Lucy smiled, leaning her head on Lorcan's shoulder as they watched the beautiful sunrise together. Forget whatever punishment she might receive when she went back; forget what everyone would say.
This one stolen night was worth it.
Please review! :)